MPM: Should Aundre Wright be starting opposite of Jonathan Baldwin at wide receiver? Not to take anything away from Oderick Turner or Cedric McGee, but Wright seems to be a much more dynamic player than either of them.

Paul Zeise: I don't know about that. Turner and McGee are what they are but they are solid and for the most part dependable and tall receivers. Wright hasn't shown he can consistently do all the things a receiver must do besides run with the ball in his hands. He should have an expanded role, no doubt, but I don't think he should be ahead of those two.

Pitt_s_It: Considering how many Q-Backs played well last week( Syracuse, ND, BYU, USC,Cinn.....) it is difficult to understand how our 3 are so weak . I suspect you are tired of talking about this, but something is wrong that we don't have anyone nearly as good as the Q-B's at so many other schools. And no player really coming along. So this relatively weak Q-B situation will just continue. Poor Jonathan Baldwin! Are there any rumors of recruiting a real top flight Q-B?

Paul Zeise: Again, they thought Pat Bostick was the answer, they recruited him and he was supposed to be right now this year coming into his own. It hasn't panned out and now they must go in a different direction. But it isn't easy to find a good pro-style quarterback and that is why many people question the wisdom of trying to run a straight pro-style offense.

Pitt_s_It: Is Tino Sunseri tall enough to be a good Division I Quarteback?

Paul Zeise: Great question. One thing I've observed is when he has to throw over the line -- which is basically just about every pass under say 15 yards, they have a tendency to float a little high and I think it is because he has to almost throw it up because he's so much shorter than the line. I think there have been some good shorter quarterbacks in college football, but again, I'm not sure how many were asked to be straight dropback passers in a pro-style offense.

itsonlyagame: Paul you had questions this morning about the Pitt offense. Why doesn't Wannsted go to an open offence like Florida etc? I believe that Pitt has the recievers with (Turner, Baldwin, Dickerson and Byham) for such an offence. However, I do agree with you that the QB's they have are not the type of QB's needed to run an open offense. Why is the QB position recruiting issues so hard for this staff to correct? They do a great job of recruiting all the other positions.

Paul Zeise: Pitt has recruited a lot of quarterbacks, none of them have panned out. And like I just wrote, don't forget Pat Bostick was supposed to be the man and if he had been as advertised, we wouldn't be having these discussions -- as for Wannstedt going to an "open, spread" offense -- forget about it. It is not going to happen so stop dreaming ...

ajollybengali: Hi Paul - personnel aside, I see no reason why a conservative offensive philosophy can't work for Pitt. It may not be sexy or exciting but it's worked fine for Nick Saban, who builds defensive teams with solid running game and asks his QB to be a game manager. Your thoughts?

Paul Zeise: I agree if you can bring in an offensive line which is able to dominate, you can win a lot of games playing that way. The problem is when you play teams who have just as good of personnel as you do and they are able to shut down your running game. That's why teams which typically win big in college football are teams which can score points, though a few teams, like Alabama and Virginia Tech, have been able to make it work playing it close to the vest.

itsonlyagame: Paul are they being extra careful with Nate Byham or is this concussion issue/condition going to be a problem for him the rest of his football playing career?

Paul Zeise: No, i think he will be OK. The key was the first game they didn't need to take chances. Period. They were perfectly fine keeping him off the field a lot and keeping him out of potential trouble. He should be at full speed this week.

itsonlyagame: Paul during Coach Wannstedt press conference he pointed out he pointed out that Jarred Holly is going to be a player. Why is he so high on Holley?

Paul Zeise: Because Holley is very athletic, he's smart, he knows what he is supposed to do and he is a physical enough player to make the play once he gets there. We didn't see much of him Saturday because Pitt wasn't in its bandit or dime packages ever but we will see a lot of him as we move forward and Pitt uses those subpackages.

RSSenior_or_bust: Do you buy the argument that you cannot rotate the MLB position? We did that many times in the past without issues with guys like Ryan Gonsales and Amir Purifoy? When you have a great one like McKillop or Blades you keep them on the field but in our situation why not give Mason one drive in the 1st half and 1 in the 2nd half? What happens if Gunn gets hurt?

Paul Zeise: No, not at all. Particularly when if you are that concerned about the MLB making the calls and don't want to entrust it to a freshman -- you could keep your current starting middle linebacker on the field, only shift him to weakside linebacker or strongside linebacker - two positions he could play -- and let him still make the calls with Dan Mason playing next to him in the middle.

RSSenior_or_bust: With the impending flu epidemic and a couple of college programs already feeling the affects, have you heard if Pitt is doing anything proactive to minimize the potential for exposure?

Paul Zeise: Nothing that I know of but it is a good question.

RSSenior_or_bust: Do you know what the plan is for Greg Cross? Are they trying to redshirt him this year?

Paul Zeise: I haven't heard that but it is an option. I'm not sure if that will happen although coaches do think with another year he could become a very good receiver. It is one of those things to keep an eye on.

SDWC: Did you see anything in the Cincy - Rutgers game or the NC State game last week that would alter your opinion on the Panthers upcoming schedule or potential success?

Paul Zeise: Not really. I said this team will be 8-4 and I don't see why that would change.

princell: Paul, do you know how tall Dave Wannstedt is? Because looking at today's picture of him next to Tino, He's either 6'8" or Tino is WAY under the 6'2" he's billed at.

Paul Zeise: Tino Sunseri is not 6-2, regardless of how tall they list him at.

Dave: Not Stull's fault he was offered a 'ship to Pitt. That said, five years and he can't complete a screen pass against YSU and we shouldn't boo? That's insane. Thoughts?

Paul Zeise: I don't think anybody said you shouldn't boo. But could you at least wait until he throws a few picks or costs his team a game? I mean, my goodness, you won the game by 35 points ...

RSSenior_or_bust: Do you expect to see the wildcat package at any time this year? If so, who would you use to run point?

Paul Zeise: I suppose we could -- Dion Lewis is pretty good at running it as is Ray Graham and I'm sure it would be one of those two and a combination of guys like Cameron Saddler and Aundre Wright running around the end and taking the handoff.

Dave: I heard blaring Dokken through the sound system louder than the Pitt band helps quarterbacks play better. Is there any truth to this?

Paul Zeise: Well, either Dokken, Metallica, Skid Row or Megadeath -- any one of that foursome will do the trick.

Big_John: What is Wanny's Record against the MAC? I can only recall the 2 losses aginst Ohio and Bowling Green last year. But I am sure they played against more MAC schools.

Paul Zeise: He is 3-2 versus MAC -- wins over Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Buffalo and losses to Ohio and Bowling Green

stache: Do you really think that Pitt will use Nate Byham more in the offense? Is there a chance that Pitt will try to throw more than a few passes beyond 5 yards?

Paul Zeise: Not really. They will use Dorin Dickerson more but I don't see Nate becoming the guy who catches 60 passes. He is a valuable blocker and does a lot of other things but throwing the ball to him is not something they want to do. And the obsession with 5-yard passes is likely not going to end any time soon but then again, if those are what your quarterback is capable of, why not?

Knob24: Paul - any word if the Panthers will be receive NCAA sanctions for too many players in the starting lineup? Bennett said today that he has 3 starters at safety and Wanny said he has 2 starters at Tight End. This has to be some kind of violation?

Paul Zeise: I know that is one ridiculous thing about this coaching staff - they apparently don't want to make anyone upset because the "we have three starters at this spot, two at this spot, four at this spot......" thing has become a talking point with that group. Look one guy will be on the field to start the game - who is it? The other guy who it is not, he's a big boy, I'm sure he can handle not being called a starter.

Imma_Man_Im_40: Coupla weeks ago in the Reshirt Blog, you opined that Pitt could give Florida, Texas and Oklahoma a close battle. Out here in the Midwest, it's all Texas and OU all the time. Let's take OU off the board due to key injuries. I think Pitt's defense might slow down Texas a tad, but hate to admit we're too one-dimensional to score with them as long as Stull is QB. Dunno about Florida. Maybe next year? Re-thoughts?

Paul Zeise: No I opined that Pitt's ALL-DECADE team could give Florida a run and they would. Same thing with Texas. But you are right, this year's team could not score enough to beat either.

Big_John: Your Prediction for this week's score...

Paul Zeise: I'd say something like 17-13

Big_John: Why does everyone like the Wildcat so much, it is just a gimmick. Shouldn't we want to beat teams up front running and occasionally throwing the ball down field? The problem is can anyone accurately throw the ball down field.

Paul Zeise: The Wildcat has become cool now that the NFL does it. Give it about another year and it will be on the shelf and teams will be looking for the next gimmick.

Knob24: Any word if Cignetti is feeling the pressure to grow a 'stache'? Bennett and Wanny have one, he should too!

Paul Zeise: Um, I'm not sure if a 'stache is required for Pitt coaches but Frank probably would look like a UPS guy -- not that there is anything wrong with that -- if he grew himself a mustache.

stache: If Greg Cross couldnt see the field in the YSU game, why wouldn't they redshirt him? They played the backup receivers and he still didnt see the field. It is a shame as I saw his run over the summer on ESPNU against Iowa and it was great.

Paul Zeise: How many times have we been through this with this coaching staff - they have a comfort level with certain players. With others, they don't and it doesn't matter what the situation is, that isn't likely to change any time soon.

Big_John: Does the ineffective play of the QB hurt Pitt's ability to recruit another big time QB, like Bostick? I know he hasn't panned out, but if I were a top notch QB I would be concerned with how the QB is used at Pitt. I would not want to just be a game manager, that does get you to the next level.

Paul Zeise: Yes, I think that Pitt coaches have to make a compelling case to any quarterback - beyond "hey you can play right now" for why they should choose the Panthers. There just hasn't been a lot of excitement generated by this offense or for this offense.

sexual_chocolate: Paul - we are going to see 7-8 men in the box all game this weekend, which will force Pitt to throw the ball. Is Stull up for the task? I could see 16 punts between each team this week.

Paul Zeise: I agree, which is why I predicted 17-13. I think Buffalo will bottle up Pitt's run game and Pitt Stull will have to make some throws down the field and we haven't see him do that successfully yet.

Knob24: Paul - who is the breakout player this week for Pitt? Last week Lewis put himself on the map. Who is this weeks start for Pitt?

Paul Zeise: Great question -- I'll say Greg Romeus. He had a quiet day against YSU but I expect him to have a big day against this offensive line.

stache: Did Pitt even know that Jonathan Baldwin was playing on their team in the first half against YSU? Seemed like they weren't even looking for him.

Paul Zeise: I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed this. The redzone package with Ced McGee and not Baldwin was a little bit much. Baldwin needs to be on the field as much as possible and for a lot of reasons beyond his ability to catch the ball. Just having him out there opens things up for other guys.

stache: That Alexcih guy seemed like he caused havoc when he was in the game even if it was against the second team. Will he get a lot of playing time in the rotation this year?

Paul Zeise: I won't say a lot, unless there is an injury, but he'll get some snaps every game and he is a guy who does make some things happen. I know the coaching staff is very high on him and his future.

stache: How bad is Fields in the doghouse?

Paul Zeise: He's always one step either in the doghouse or one step out of it. He just needs to grow up a little bit and he'd be fine but he continues to find his way back into it. He should be a really good player but his clock is ticking.

stache: Did Greg Romeus get banged up in the last game? Seemed like Lindsey replaced him for a good bit while first team was still in the game.

Paul Zeise: No, they didn't want to play those guys too much in the first game just because he is such a valuable player and he doesn't need the work. I'm sure we will see him a lot more this week.

Knob24: Do you think Berry will play press vs. Roosevelt? Do you see safety over the top most of the game on his side of the field?

Paul Zeise: No and no. I think Berry will be off of Roosevelt a little bit but I think there will be plenty of times when he is on his own to guard him.

Paul Zeise: Folks, that is all we have time for today as I need to get the heck out of downtown before the concerts and games begin in a little bit! We'll do it again next week.